The invention relates to an automatic dispenser of any solid product, for example for dispensing rolls of coins or foodstuffs such as drinks, snacks or the like.
In the present dispensers intended for use, for example, with rolls of coins, the articles to be dispensed must have equal shape and size, and they are usually stacked onto each other thus creating contact pressures causing the formation of "bridges" and jamming the dispensing function. Also for this reason, the present dispensers cannot be used for dispensing irregular and soft articles, for example, small bags of candies.
The invention solves this problem since the article to be dispensed is loaded into a tube which serves as a protective container for said article, as a dispensing and re-loading element, and as a transfer element inasmuch as it is secured to a belt together with other identical containers to form a chain conveyor operatively meshing with driving sprockets.
The present dispenser may be constructed in various dimensions depending upon the articles to be dispensed, and even in a refrigerated version in case of foodstuffs or any other perishable goods. The storing capacity and functional autonomy of the dispenser is not impaired because the article-containing tubes (of equal dimensions and secured crosswise and equally spaced apart on the flexible conveyor belt), during the step of introduction into and withdrawal from the respective magazines, will stack spontaneously in a position which is comparable, for example, to that which is assumed by the rolls of coins in the presently-used dispensers.
An important advantage of the dispenser of the invention is that the inner dimensions of each tube are suitable for containing a variety of articles and not a single size of articles, so that no adjustment is needed in changing from an article of a given size to one of different size within the variety specified above. For example, in case of rolls of coins, the inner dimensions of the tubes are such as to accommodate the largest roll, so that the entire range of smaller rolls may be introduced into the tubes without requiring any particular adjustment. The adjustment of the known dispensers always creates problems and costs, and if not effected by skilled personnel it may cause troubles and malfunctions.
A further important characteristic of the invention resides in the dispensation of the articles. The dispensation is effected by the action of gravity, by taking advantages of the vertical or inclined position assumed by the tube due to a suitable diversion imparted to the belt carrying the tube. The tube containing therein the article to be dispensed is conveyed to register with an opening in the bottom of the diversion guide, so that the article will fall onto the outlet chute and may be withdrawn. Each step of advance of the feed belt causes the dispensation of an article. Obviously, a double-step movement causes the dispensation of two articles simultaneously, which is not possible in the presently-used dispensers, wherein each maneuver causes the dispensation of a single article. It is also to be noted that within a tube of the dispenser according to the invention there may be accommodated a plurality of articles.
The steps of advance of the feed belt according to the present dispenser are controlled by an electronic programmer connected to a conventional unit operated by coins, tokens, banknotes, magnetic cards, etc.
The automatic dispenser according to the invention may be provided with a plurality of feed belts with respective side-by-side magazines, containing articles even of different kinds, operating independently and such as to dispense the articles either from a single outlet or from different outlets.